The Effect of COVID-19 on Peace Agreement Implementation

On 9 April 2020, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres raised concerns that the COVID-19 pandemic could stall peace processes and destabilize hard-won peace. These concerns are reflected in UNSC 2532. While no peace processes have collapsed due to COVID-19, several are facing implementation slowdowns. In particular, implementation processes that require mobilization of civilians and resources at the local level are facing challenges, as the pandemic has debilitated and dispersed citizen agency and diverted critical resources toward crisis response. In this paper, we look at recent peace agreement implementation data from Colombia, South Sudan, and the Philippines (BARMM). We recommend that local, national, and international stakeholders provide support for implementing peace during this pandemic and beyond.